Rose water has moisturizing and anti inflammatory properties making it refreshing on hot days – use it on your face as a toner – put some in your bath water – use it to mop your floor – pour some into your rainbow vacuum water – use it to freshen up bedding or furniture – want a natural perfume? bam rose-water – or even use it to cleanse unwanted / stagnant energy!

It can also be used to flavor certain dishes such as tea or lemonade (but I find myself using it most frequently in my skin care routine.

To make rose-water you will need to choose a rose that is fragrant. (I used (what I believe is) pink fragrant roses originally from the Hand Rose Farm in Tyler, TX)

Pluck the petals from the roses – discard the bulb and stems.

Place the rose petals in a large pot and fill with just enough purified/distilled water to cover the rose petals – too much water will dilute the rose-water and you want it to smell as strong as possible.

Place a heat safe bowl in the center of the petals, and cover the pot with a lid.

Place on a medium heat.

As the petals simmer, steam will collect on the lid of the pot and drip into the bowl – that rose-water will be a more pure form than the rose-water that is in the pot (but the rose-water in the pot is still good stuff).

Simmer until the petals lose their color.

Drain/strain the liquid into a jar and voilà! That is your rose-water!

Coconuts are naturally packed with everything you need to rehydrate. Known for having a high concentration of potassium and sodium coconut can help to restore electrolytes.

Unlike manufactured sports drinks, coconut water is naturally healthy and contains 2 grams of protein per cup (and we all know protein helps in muscle recovery after workouts).

Coconut water has a mild flavor but is definitely an acquired taste for me….that is why I started making these cubes….the matcha helps mask the taste.

Matcha can assist the body in increasing endurance, metabolism and help drop excess abdominal fat. It naturally increases your body’s energy and heat production during your workout which tells the body to burn more calories….on top of that is has a significant amount of antioxidants.

Jade facial rolling is based on an ancient traditional Chinese medicine technique where you use a jade stone tool to massage/manipulate the muscles and fasciae of the face/neck while stimulating acupuncture energy points and promoting lymphatic drainage.

If you have heavy eye lids that get puffy like mine then you are going to love this tool! It gives instant relief to puffiness, swelling, or tired eyes. Jade has properties that allow it to remain cold on contact…even in warm weather (you can put in the fridge to make it extra cold).

Use upward movement, from eye brows to flatten forehead lines. From center of forehead, roll along eyebrows towards the meridian points between the eye and ear.

Close eyes and use smaller roller starting from the inner corner of the eye and roll across eyelid toward meridian point near ear. Roll under the eye to same meridian point, focusing on any puffiness, crows feet and wrinkles around the eye area.

Use small roller and press gently down on meridian points by the ear. Hold for a count of three, exhale and repeat. This helps relax the face and relieves any tension. Great for headaches.

Roll smaller roller from eyes down and around base of nose to meridian point on side of nose. Press gently down on meridian points either side of nose. Hold for a count of three and exhale. Repeat. This helps relieve any sinus congestion and relaxes tension along smile lines.

Use larger roller. Start at nose and roll across cheeks to meridian point near ear. Roll from center of lips over upper and lower lip towards ear. From center of chin, sweep up towards ear. Roll upwards from bottom of chin to meridian points under lower lip. Press down for a count of three, exhale and repeat. Using larger roller, roll along jaw line towards the ear. Then roll under the with upward movements from neck to chin. Starting from meridian point at base of skull behind ear, roll around to center of collarbone and up neck to jaw to drain the lymphatic waste and smooth wrinkles in the neck area.

Never roll back and forth!

This is the roller I have. (Roller came with images and instructions used, check out their website here).

This post is a month (+) over due… (most pumpkin patches are already done/closed for the season) but it was my first time and I want to remember it! (Blogging is basically my new scrap booking)

We went to the Meyer pumpkin patch between Dalhart and Stratford, TX. It is located on a family farm in the middle of an irrigated corn field! (There was a corn maze available but we did not walk through it) It was super windy the day we went but we had a lot of fun. They give you your own 4-wheeler and trailer and let you go explore. Meyers grew all the good stuff – both white and orange pumpkins and all kinds of gourds – in all sizes!

We picked out our favorites and decorated our home. I love pumpkins….I see a lot of people already decorating for Christmas but I’m holding onto them as long as possible.

Like this:

If you live in the panhandle of Oklahoma and have not been living with your windows open you are missing out. Our fall has been amazing…ideal temperatures. 75 degrees as I write this with a low of 56 for tonight.

…(Listen to it, Summer! I think you could really like a few of these songs)

Like this:

Rock candy is so pretty…so why wouldn’t you want to make them at home!? I thought they would be a super easy project that I could enjoy, no problem….but I wasn’t successful the first time I tried making these. I did something wrong and they did not form crystals…they didn’t do anything. Darn it! But the second time I made sure I let the sugar-water reach a rapid boil and it was a success! I love the way they turned out.

• • • •

Supplies:

8 Cups Sugar

4 Cups Water

Candy thermometer

5 Jars

5 Clothes pins

Food coloring

5 Candy sticks

The night before, soak sticks in water for about 20 min then roll in sugar. Place on paper towel or plate and let dry overnight.

Gather jars and designate a remote area to place them. (They need to sit untouched for 1 week for crystals to form)

In a medium sauce pan bring water to a rapid boil.

One cup at a time add sugar and let dissolve completely before adding next cup. Once all the sugar is added and the sugar-water is clear, remove from heat. (I let my sugar water boil for a while, like 10 min…..my water temperature was anywhere between 250 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit)

Like this:

Do you have crappy nails!? ME TOO!! Paper-thin nails that always break, peel and bend. Not cool! I’ve tried all of the polishes that promise to give you strong and long nails, but I have never noticed a difference.

The other day, on a rerun of Dr. Oz, they were talking about how garlic can help in strengthening and growing your nails! This may seem weird and stinky but don’t worry…the smell disappears once it is dry!

I just started this method so I will report back on the long term results soon!

Follow these simple steps and let me know if it works for you!

Use any basic clear polish.

Finely chop or mince 1 clove of garlic.

Drain approximately 1/4 of the polish out of the bottle as to not overflow.

Pack the chopped garlic into the bottle.

Put the bottle away to steep for 7-10 days.

Apply 2 coats of polish to bare clean nails and let it dry.

*Also…I would like to apologize to my followers for all the annoying e-mails last Friday. I just learned how to use Polyvore and I didn’t realize what I was doing on there was showing up on my blog too. I was trying to make an Albin Home Vision Board.